50 GERMINATION.CA JULY 2019 Who said what? CANOLA SPAT A SIGN OF PROTECTIONIST TIMES What’s fuelling trade disputes like the one Canada is currently having with China? The rise in global protectionism, says Canola Council of Canada president Jim Everson. During a webinar to update the public on China’s announcement that it’s no longer buying Canadian canola seed, Everson said the situationisindicativeofalargerglobaltrendtowardaprotection- ist mentality. He referenced a canola trade agreement between Canada and China from 2016 in which China agreed to maintain Canada’s access to its $2.6-billion canola market through 2020. “There’s a difference in the political and trade climates between 2016 and now. We face a very different, more protectionist world trade environment. We’ve seen that in terms of our trading rela- tionship with our most important trading partner to the south,” Everson said. “It’s a very protectionist, challenging international environment for agriculture and trade and that’s important for people to know as we address this trade issue with China.” ISF SEED CONGRESS HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE Morethan1,700internationalprofessionalsandbusinessleadersfrom63countriesgatheredinNice,France,forthe70thInternational Seed Federation World Seed Congress, the largest annual gathering of the seed sector which brings together seed industry players and key stakeholders. The congress provided an opportunity to discuss the challenges of the sector, especially innovation and seed movement, as well as to reaffirm the sector’s commitment to shared goals with the global community. “The theme of this congress, ‘Where knowledge flows’, highlights the importance of international exchange and the sharing of knowledge, experiences and expertise to bring professionals to discuss the future of the industry,” said Eduard Fito, president of ISF, organizer of the congress alongside the Union Française des Semenciers (UFS). “France, one of the historical leaders in the seed industry, is a destination of choice for the ISF International Congress,” explained Michael Keller, ISF secretary-general. “France is the world’s leading exporter of seeds and the leading European producer,” says Franck Berger, president of UFS. “We are small and medium enterprises, family businesses, international companies, cooperatives, all directly linked with the farmers and all creatorsofagreatdiversityofspeciesandvarietiesofseeds,whicharethestartingpointofourfoodchain.Ourdiversityisastrength.” Seeds of cereals, turf, flowers, vegetables, oilseeds and more, comprise the 4.4 million metric tons of seeds which are exported globally within the international seed sector, ISF said in a statement. GUELPH WHEAT BREEDER HELPED MAKE LIVES BETTER It is with sympathy and sadness that the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) shares the passing of Alireza (Ali) Navabi on March 10, 2019. Navabi was a wheat breeder and professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture. He led and managed the very successful University of Guelph wheat breeding pro- gram and was well known for his exceptional teaching and thoughtful guidance, the OAC said in a statement. “He strongly believed in higher education’s ability to make people’slivesbetter.Hetaughtmultipleundergraduateand graduatecoursesaswellasadvising12graduatestudents andsatonover25graduateadvisorycommittees.Hestood out for his strong mentorship of students, which he con- sidered a mutual learning experience that broadened his perspective as much as it did his students’.” WatchforafeaturestoryonNavabiinourSeptemberprint edition. “WEFACEAVERYDIFFERENT,MOREPROTECTIONISTWORLDTRADEENVIRONMENT.” –JimEverson